Infant mortality in the United States, Sweden and the State of S.Paulo

Abstract

Data regarding infant, early neonatal, neonatal, pos-neonatal and perinatal mortality are presented for the USA, Sweden and the State of São Paulo, Brazil, for the period from 1950 to 1982. Sweden, throughout the period presents the lowest rates and the State of São Paulo the highest. The rates for the State of São Paulo can be considered very high and the data show that at the beginning of the 80's the infant mortality was similar to that observed in Sweden half a century before and the mortality under one day of life was higher than that for all the first year of life. For the three populations there is a decline in all the rates, but in Sweden and the USA, although presenting the hower rates, the decline is more pronounced.